Month: August 2018

If you’re always sweating, you might be wondering why it’s happening to you. You notice that you have heavy sweating even when you’re sitting still in a cold room. Your friends and family don’t sweat like that. So, what’s the cause of excessive sweating for you? Well, it could be one of the following health conditions.

Some types of cancer

As scary as it sounds, some cancers could be the cause of excessive sweating. The types of cancers potentially causing the constant sweating include Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma, carcinoid tumors, leukemia, mesothelioma, bone cancer, and liver cancer. Many doctors don’t fully understand why some cancers are the cause of excessive sweating, but it might be connected to the body trying to fight off cancer.

Hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is a very common cause of excessive sweating. In fact, there are eight million Americans with hyperhidrosis, and they sweat four to five times as much as the average person. This sweating condition is broken into two subtypes, either primary or secondary hyperhidrosis. Primary hyperhidrosis doesn’t have a clear cause, but it is thought to be hereditary. Secondary hyperhidrosis is typically caused by other medical conditions and medications.

Certain medications

Some medications can cause people to sweat excessively. Medications for high blood pressure, psychiatric drugs, medicines used to treat dry mouth, and some antibiotics and supplements can all cause excessive sweating. If you think your medication is causing you to sweat excessively, then you need to consult your doctor.

Glucose control disorders

Glucose control disorder includes diabetes type 1 and type 2, gestational diabetes and hypoglycaemia (abnormally low glucose levels). Excessive sweating is a symptom of having low glucose levels.

Menopause

Many women going through menopause report suffering from hot flashes. In fact, 75% of women say they experience hot flashes and sweat a lot during menopause and the time leading up to it. In some women, the hot flashes are so severe that they have to change their clothes. These hot flashes and sweating problems during menopause are thought to be caused by fluctuating estrogen levels.

The cause of excessive sweating is often unknown for many suffering. Fortunately, though, a visit to your doctor can help you figure out why you’re sweating so much.

If you experience heavy sweating, constant sweating, or both, you might have a condition known as hyperhidrosis. It’s not a life-threatening diagnosis, but it is uncomfortable, embarrassing, and often psychologically traumatic.

When you have hyperhidrosis, you will tend to sweat excessively. It typically develops in adolescence, and it affects millions of Americans. There are two main types of hyperhidrosis that cause heavy sweating, and they are primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis and secondary hyperhidrosis.

Primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis

Primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis is the most common cause of excessive sweating; it affects roughly 1% to 3% of the population. This type of hyperhidrosis tends to be localized, or focal, affecting specific areas of the body like the hands and feet. There is usually not a known cause for this type of hyperhidrosis.

Causes

People used to think that primary hyperhidrosis was linked to the patient’s emotional and mental state. However, recent research suggests that people with primary hyperhidrosis are no more prone to feelings of nervousness, anxiety, or emotional stress than the rest of the population. Certain genes are thought to play a role in hyperhidrosis, so some experts think that it’s hereditary. The majority of patients with primary hyperhidrosis have a parent or sibling with the same diagnosis.

Secondary hyperhidrosis

Secondary hyperhidrosis occurs when a person experiences heavy sweating because of an underlying health condition, like menopause, obesity, gout, tumors, mercury poisoning, diabetes mellitus, or hyperthyroidism. This type of hyperhidrosis tends to be generalized, affecting the entire body.

Causes

Some common causes of secondary hyperhidrosis include:

• Spinal cord injury
• Alcohol abuse
• Substance abuse
• Anxiety
• Diabetes
• Gout
• Heart disease
• Hyperthyroidism
• Obesity
• Parkinson’s disease
• Pregnancy
• Respiratory failure
• Shingles
• Some cancers
• Some infections (HIV, tuberculosis)
• Some medications (antidepressants, anticholinesterases, propranolol)

In order to be diagnosed with one type of hyperhidrosis over the other, your doctor will have to rule out any underlying conditions like low blood sugar or hyperthyroidism by ordering urine and blood tests. Then, you will be asked about the patterns of your sweating. When your doctor figures out the potential causes and severity of your condition, they will be able to provide you with a diagnosis.

If you get diagnosed with hyperhidrosis, it’s important to know that you aren’t alone. There are many different treatment options so you can get your life back and control your heavy sweating.